Bluebird of Happiness

I made this Bluebird of Happiness quilt in remembrance of my husband, David, who died in 1986 at the age of 44. The pattern I used for the bluebird was taken from a coloring book drawing by Florence Sarah Winship. The background fabric was hand-dyed by Carol Eaton formerly of Shelton, CT.

The song, “The Bluebird of Happiness” made famous in 1945 by the opera tenor, Jan Peerce, had special significance for my husband because his father used to sing this song to him when he was a little boy. Sadly, his father died in 1950 when my husband was only 8 years old.

In late 1976, when we had begun dating, I asked him what he wanted for Christmas and he asked for a copy of this song. Well, in 1976, the Internet (as we know it today) didn’t exist - and because of that, I spent many weeks of frantic searching, lots of praying and then by a small miracle - I found a vintage record shop (over 50 miles away) in Hartford, CT that had the exact song he wanted. The song was in an record album that even had a picture of a bluebird on the cover! I will never forget the look on his face when he opened that Christmas present.

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Alzheimer's Quilt

Auction quilt for the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative I have just finished making a small donation quilt for the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative (AAQI) founded by Ami Simms. Rules for making a donation quilt can be found on her web site. The address is: http://www.alzquilts.org/index.html Just click on the link on the left side for Priority: Alzheimer's Quilts to see the rules for submission of quilts. The information about my quilt #2755 is listed on the link below and a picture of my quilt should be posted any day now. The link for quilts waiting for assignment is: http://www.alzquilts.org/quwaas.html Quilts are auctioned off monthly. You can donate a quilt and bid on a quilt for sale to help support this worthy cause. The latest auction of quilts is found on this link: http://www.alzquilts.org/loatallqu.html Update 10/30/08: I recently learned that my quilt was purchased and that it earned $49.70 for AAQI. Not bad for a tiny quilt that's only 8...

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I have been working for years on this Veterans Quilt to honor some of the men in my family who have served our country during a time of war. There are four Marines shown on this quilt, three Army veterans, one Navy veteran and one Army Air Corps veteran. (Later, the AAC became the USAAF.) The four surrounded by gold stars had already passed away when I began the quilt. My husband, David, who died in 1986 at the age of 44, (upper center) is one of these four. His great-uncle, Frank Millington, received the Purple Heart Medal during World War I. Because I didn't have a picture of Frank, I scanned the front and back of his medal which was passed down to my late husband. The back of the Purple Heart Medal has Frank's name engraved on it. (middle-center). My father, Arthur Mott (center, left) and my uncle Charles J. "Joe" Hughes were both deceased when I started the quilt. 2008 Update: Since I created this quilt, both my brothers-in-law, Jim Wilson (US Army - lower ce...

Quilting - the fabric of my life!

Leaf Quilt I became interested in quiltmaking several years prior to the Bicentennial in 1976. Thanks to the Bicentennial, people had become interested in quilts and quiltmaking once again. By this point in time, quiltmaking was on the decline and in danger of becoming a lost art form. I remember in 1976, that my sister Laraine and I went to see a Bicentennial quilt that was on display at a public library in Shelton, CT. The quilt was made up of many different individual blocks reflecting the history of the city. Some of the blocks depicted famous homes in the city. I was astonished that these "homes" were made from fabric and that the quilters had even used small scraps of lace for the curtains. They also used embroidery to add flowers and other details to the blocks. That quilt really had a lasting effect on me - and now, 40 years later, I am still quilting!

MY QUILT ZONE

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